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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24331381">Gloxinia</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesaboutvan/pseuds/storiesaboutvan'>storiesaboutvan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Avengers Compound, F/M, Fluff, Infinity War and Endgame didn't happen, Mostly Canon Compliant, Recovering!Bucky, Sassy Sam Wilson, She/Her Reader - Freeform, Witch!Reader, enhanced!reader, evil werewolf hybrid clones, lots of flower symbolism, other Marvel characters mentioned but not in scenes, witchy vibes</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:15:12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,808</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24331381</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/storiesaboutvan/pseuds/storiesaboutvan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>You’re a witch that helps The Avengers a couple of times. Bucky Barnes finds some sort of happiness and healing in you, and the flowers you surround yourself with. He’s a boy in lalalove.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Bucky Barnes/Reader, Bucky Barnes/You, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>102</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Gloxinia</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This was written for the–sad–hatter and her Flowers For My Followers writing challenge on Tumblr. Also shout out to vibraniumwitch for being my witchy inspiration always. Also, sorry for probably wrong geography stuff; I’m Australian and don’t know shit about New York/Upstate New York loooool.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>For any of The Avengers to be sceptical of witchcraft seemed, to be perfectly frank, really fucking stupid. Each of their lives had been wrapped up in magic and mystery, so to have them hold back smirks and send mocking glances across the table at each other was not exactly what you had expected.</p><p>To be fair, it wasn’t <i>all</i> The Avengers making fun. At the head of the table, Steve Rogers watched with curiosity, although he was sure his expression read as neutral. Sam Wilson took the seat closest to you, asking the same question phrased multiple ways.</p><p>“So, a <i>witch</i> witch?” “Is it more Sabrina or Charmed?” “Really just making a potion, huh? Like a real life witch…”</p><p> </p><p>He broke the tension, which would have been otherwise unbearable.</p><p>Tony Stark, Clint Wilson, and James 'Rhodey’ Rhodes had been reduced to acting like teenagers at the mere suggestion of brewing a potion. You’d been hoping for a different audience. Specifically, Wanda Maximoff. She would have believed you. Alas, you had not been gifted your choice in company.</p><p>“Alright, Broom-hilda, show us what 'cha got,” Tony said, growing impatient.</p><p>“Do we really have to drink that?” Clint added, peering into the bowl you’d been mixing things in. “Won’t turn our skin purple? Grow an extra limb?”</p><p>Rolling your eyes, you held up a plant. “Magnolia, for perseverance. Or, add the petals to a salad for a bit of extra colour,” you explained in your best infomercial voice.</p><p>Sam snorted, then began to poke around the rest of the ingredients. “What’re the orange ones for?”</p><p>“That’s nasturtium. For conquest.”</p><p>When you’d finished the mix, you let it cook over a small, portable heat pad. Modern witch, and all that. Hot off the stove, you poured the liquid into a collection of small, glass bottles.</p><p>“Let it cool, cork them, then drink it when you need it,” you announced, matter-of-factly.</p><p>When Natasha Romanoff had exhausted all of her routes of gathering information, returning with only your name, everyone was close to admitting defeat. The battle was lost, surely, if a witch’s potion was the only hope… But Steve wasn’t in the business of giving up. He sent Sam to bring you to the compound.</p><p>Steve explained that they had located a source of power. Ancient, unstable, highly sought-after power. And even with all their superhuman strength and superhuman speed and superhuman everything, they couldn’t get to it. Maybe, though, with what was best described as a performance-enhancing-witchy-substance, they had a fighting chance.</p><p>The room looked over the bottles.</p><p>“How do we know if it’ll work?” Sam asked, picking one up and inspecting it.</p><p>“We don’t,” Tony answered. It was less an attack than a statement of unfortunate fact.</p><p>“You’ll just have to trust me.”</p><p>Sam nodded, and watched as you pulled a sprig of yarrow and put it into his bottle.</p><p>“Yarrow, for healing,” you told him.</p><p>“Yeah, ah… Can I grab some of that too?” Rhodey asked. “Falc ain’t the only brother without super healing.”</p><p>…</p><p> </p><p>“No," </p><p>"But-”</p><p>“No. I’m not gonna be a magical drug dealer to-” but Sam cut you off before you could finish your sentence.</p><p>“Y/N, Y/N, you got it all wrong! I don’t want that nasty nasturtium stuff. Nah, I’m thinking… truth serum?”</p><p>“Truth serum,” you repeated deadpan.</p><p>“Yeah, nightshade,” he says nodded and wriggling his eyebrows. He was doing his best 'good kid does extra credit’ impression.</p><p>“You googling 'truth plant’ isn’t impressive,” you said. That elicited a snort from Sam’s companion.</p><p>Standing next to him, silent and appearing impatient, Bucky Barnes crossed his arms over his chest. But the snort had dragged him into the conversation.</p><p>“And what do you want?” you asked him.</p><p>“What?”</p><p>“Love spell. Vampire tracker. Or just an easy bottle of truth serum too?”</p><p>Bucky blinked at you, then slowly shook his head. “I’ve had enough serums to last me a lifetime… I’m just here 'cause Steve said you’d kick his ass before you gave him any…magic or whatever,” he answered, motioning to Sam.</p><p>“So Rogers got all the trio’s brains, huh?”</p><p>Sam and Bucky frowned in unison.</p><p>“Look, we normally just use Nat for this kind of thing. But our guy ain’t talking, and we need the information,” Sam tried again. “She’s out of town, and Wanda’s taking a break from getting in people’s heads.”</p><p>Being called in to brew superhero steroids as a once off was one thing… Having the Falcon and the Winter Soldier show up on your doorstep at 11:00 pm was another. However, the men looked desperate.</p><p>Sighing, you looked at them. “Fine. Come in. I might be able to help." </p><p>You lead the men through your living room, overlooked by a small kitchen. Their faces told you a lot. "You were expecting a magic cave? Portal to a hut in the middle of a forest?”</p><p>“Yeah, kinda,” Sam replied, casually shrugging.</p><p>“Do you live in a nest?” you asked him.</p><p>Bucky chuckled.</p><p>“Alright, I get it. The witch thing isn’t always literal.”</p><p>But that’s when you pulled a dark purple velvet curtain back, revealing a room you referred to as your office.</p><p>“Woah,” Bucky whispered to himself.</p><p>“Now, see, <i>this</i> is what I’m talking 'bout!” Sam exclaimed, looking around the room in awe.</p><p>The small, windowless room was framed by floor to ceiling bookshelves on three of the walls. Stuck between books were trinkets and oddities. Against the fourth wall was a table covered in dried herbs, potted plants, and other things neither Sam nor Bucky could identify.</p><p>“Sit,” you instructed, pointing to the round table in the centre of the room. There were scorch marks and deep gashed in the wood grain. Bucky traced them with his right hand.</p><p>As they pulled out chairs and sat, Sam pointed, “Is that a microwave?”</p><p>“For heating potions… and hot pockets,” you explained. “So, how much can you tell me?”</p><p>“Officially - nothing. Unofficially - your magic juice helped save the world a month ago, so, whatever you need to know,” Sam answered.</p><p>“Okay. And, none of those C.I.A. psychotropic L.S.D. drugs are real? No secret truth serums invented by Bruce Banner?” you asked, more out of interest than need-to-know.</p><p>“If they do, they ain’t telling us,” Sam said. </p><p>He explained that they had a man in custody. The man knew a date and a location, but he wasn’t cracking in interrogation and time was running out.</p><p>“Sounds very spy T.V. dramatic,” you mused.</p><p>“But it’s real life,” Bucky said.</p><p>“Yeah,” you replied, looking at him and his serious expression. “Okay, so what’s meant to happen? On the date or whatever?”</p><p>“You’ll sleep better not knowing that,” from Bucky, his expression remaining the same.</p><p>You trusted him to gauge what you should and should not know. Nodding, you turned around and began to look for the things you needed. The men watched, leaning over the table when you put things on it.</p><p>“I don’t do magic on other people. It’s a line we don’t cross. So, no truth serum. What I can do is try to pull the information you need from somewhere else. Bring it here,” you told him.</p><p>When you joined them at the table you smiled at their matching faces; furrowed brows and darkened eyes.</p><p>“You’re sure he knows what you need to know?” you asked. They nodded. “Do you have anything of his?” Sam frowned, shook his head.</p><p>Bucky thought for a second, then pulled a knife out of somewhere. “Haven’t cleaned this yet. Might still have some of his blood on it,”</p><p>“Disturbing, but okay,” you said, taking the knife and putting it in the wooden bowl in front of you.</p><p>The room went silent as you picked white chrysanthemum petals off a fresh stem and dropped them into the bowl. Begonias followed, then basil. Truth. Knowledge. Success.</p><p>“One of you has to be the vessel,”</p><p>“The vessel?” Sam asked.</p><p>“Yeah. The information needs to go to someone. It can’t be me,”</p><p>“I’ll do it,” Bucky offered.</p><p>For a second you hesitated, wondering how white magic would work through someone with so much darkness in their past. But that was just it - it was the past.</p><p>“You need to wear this,” you said, handing him a crown made of blackthorn plant. “It’s like, a filter. Brings in good luck, and lets the universe know you’re working for good.”</p><p>Bucky looked at the thing in his hands, slowly putting it on his head.</p><p>“Suits you, man,” Sam said, smirking. Bucky just shot him a look.</p><p>They fell silent again, watching you carefully place a few more things in the bowl before filling it with a liquid poured from a glass jar that looked like it once held pasta sauce. Everything sat swimming but still until you placed a hand either side of the bowl, then it started to simmer. It bubbled and popped and seemed to quickly reduce down, evaporating faster than it scientifically should have. Soon, all that was left was about shot glass worth of black, thick syrupy liquid.</p><p>“Where’s my knife?” Bucky asked.</p><p>“Gone,” you replied as you poured the potion into a cup. You handed it to Bucky and he looked at you apprehensively. “Drink it and focus on what you want to know… Think about the guy. And, think about what happens if you don’t find out what he knows. Think about it so hard that it hurts.”</p><p>Bucky nodded slowly but shot the liquid quickly. At first, he just sat there, almost like he was stunned.</p><p>“How long-” Sam went to ask, but you shushed him.</p><p>Suddenly, Bucky pushed back from the table, standing up and sending his chair flying. Sam followed, holding his arms out like he expected Bucky to fall.</p><p>“It’s okay,” you told Sam. “He’s okay.”</p><p>Bucky’s eyes were shut tight, and he held his head, fingers curling around his blackthorn crown. He began to breathe heavily, mouth open.</p><p>“Is he gonna spew?!” Sam shrieked in a high-pitched voice.</p><p>Taking the empty wooden bowl with you, you stood and moved to Bucky. He went still and mimicked your exact movements of slowly lowering yourself to the ground and kneeling. Sam didn’t understand how Bucky knew what to do; you’d not uttered a command.</p><p>You placed the bowl between you and Bucky. He leaned over it, and began to cough and pull something from his mouth. It was impossibly long, coming from somewhere deep inside him. He pulled and pulled, letting it slop into the bowl. When it was all out, he spat, then seemingly woke up, falling on his butt and backing away from the bowl.</p><p>“What the fuck,” he said between heavy breaths.</p><p>Sam and Bucky watched you look through the muck and gunk in the bowl, no hesitation to your movement.</p><p>“What is that?” Sam asked, truly disgusted. </p><p>You looked over to Bucky, who was looking at the thing intently. He scrambled back over and took it from you. “I know…” he started, looking up at Sam. “I know… everything.”</p><p>…</p><p>You had dropped cutlery three times, but when it was almost midnight and no company had come, you were getting restless. In your office, sat at the table, you shuffled a deck and laid out cards.</p><p>The Hanged Man. The Hermit. The Hierophant, reversed. The Lovers.</p><p>Then, 11.11 and a soft knock on the door.</p><p>Bucky Barnes looked sleep deprived but somehow hopeful.</p><p>"I thought I might see you tonight,” you told him, opening the door and letting him through. “Were you right? About the date and place?”</p><p>“Yes,” he said, coming to stand in your living room.</p><p>“Good. What do Earth’s Mightiest Heroes need now then?”</p><p>Bucky looked around. “Do you have any pets?” he asked.</p><p>“No. Do you?”</p><p>“A cat. Alpine… Thought you’d have one… black cat or something.” He wasn’t teasing, like Sam had.</p><p>“Black cat? Thought you guys were the ones with a black cat?”</p><p>Bucky grinned. “Funny. You’re funny,”</p><p>“Thanks… You’re not here for them then,”</p><p>“No,” he said, walking over to the window where plants were everywhere. “Do you use all of these? For your magic?”</p><p>“Most of them, yeah. Like, these ones…” You moved to stand next to him. “They give strength,”</p><p>“Snapdragons,” Bucky identified.</p><p>“Yep. And… Vervain are protective in nature, especially from enchantment.” You picked a sprig of the purple plant, threaded it through Bucky’s hair, behind his ear.</p><p>“What about nightmares? What helps with those?” he asked earnestly.</p><p>The room was illuminated by candlelight. A soft orangy glow lit up half his fast, casting the other half into shadow. You turned to him and cupped his face in your hands.</p><p>“<i>A tired soldier… Sing him to sleep… A tired soldier… The devil’s to keep,</i>” you sung gently, running your thumbs along his cheeks. “Sit. I’ll brew you tea,”</p><p>“Tea?” Bucky asked, a little hesitant to be out of your hands.</p><p>“<i>Magic</i> tea,” you clarified, rolling your eyes.</p><p>Elderflower for compassion and sweet-brier petals for healing. A little poppy and chamomile, and other secrets kept in your family for generations. A dash of Indian jasmine to finish. It glimmered as you swirled it in the teacup.</p><p>Bucky was on the couch, sitting up too straight.</p><p>“Take your boots off. Lay down,” you instructed. He went to protest, probably say you didn’t need to put <i>that</i> much effort in. “Please,” you said, stopping the protest. “Let me do this.”</p><p>Bucky followed your commands and took the teacup when offered. He skulled it like a frat boy in a bar trying to impress his mates.</p><p>“Now close your eyes. Sleep,” you said, taking the empty cup from him.</p><p>Kneeling next to the couch, you softly ran your fingers through Bucky’s hair and waited until he fell asleep before you moved to your own bed.</p><p>He was gone when you woke up.</p><p>…</p><p>“What? No broomstick?” called the unmistakable voice of Sam Wilson.</p><p>Standing at the open boot of your car, you looked up and watched him approach, Bucky trailing behind, hands shoved in his pockets.</p><p>“You stalking me now?” you asked, clocking the bunch of flowers in Sam’s hands.</p><p>“Nope. Just waiting for you. Weren’t home and we wanted to drop off a thank you, for the helping last week,” he said, holding out the bouquet to you.</p><p>“So, the information was good?” you asked, pretending Bucky hadn’t already confirmed it to you. His late night visit to you a few nights before was obviously not something he’d shared with his friends.</p><p>“It was good. You do good work,”</p><p>“Thanks,” you said dubiously, but taking the flowers.</p><p>“We picked those out especially. This one is a gerball-”</p><p>“Gerbera,” Bucky correct.</p><p>“Means 'you are the sunshine of my life’ and this one is an orchid, for beauty,” Sam rattled off.</p><p>“What about this one?” you asked, pointing to the yellow agrimony.</p><p>“Buck picked that one. What’s it mean?” Sam asked, looking over to Bucky. Bucky was leaning against your car casually. He shrugged, pretended to not know agrimony was the gratitude plant.</p><p>“They’re beautiful. You didn’t have to,” you told them, putting the flowers in one of the boxes in the boot of your car.</p><p>“You need a hand?” Sam asked, not waiting for a response. He swooped in and collected one of the heavy boxes. Bucky followed, picking up the other.</p><p>“Ah… sure…”</p><p>You let them carry your things inside, put them on the kitchen bench.</p><p>“More witch stuff? Eye of newt? That kind of thing?” Sam asked.</p><p>“If microwave popcorn and frozen lasagna is witchy, then ya got me,” you laughed. “You’re gonna be disappointed if you keep thinking like that, Sam,”</p><p>“You say that but I’ve seen behind the curtain. You’re definitely witchy enough,”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah… So what do you want? You didn’t just come to give me flowers,” you asked, launching yourself backwards and up to sit on the bench.</p><p>You glanced over at Bucky, who was back over at the window and the plants. Sam clocked you looking, but filed that away.</p><p>“We’ve got an offer for you,”</p><p>“When you say 'we,’ who exactly do you mean?”</p><p>“Us! The Avengers! Superheros!” Sam said, chest puffed out.</p><p>Rolling your eyes, you shook your head. “Nope,”</p><p>“You haven’t even heard-”</p><p>“No. I’m happy doing what I do,” you told him.</p><p>“I told you,” Bucky chimed in, stopping at a gloxinia, something about its prettiness resonating with him. “What’s this one mean?”</p><p>“Love at first sight,” you said, biting your lip to hide a smile.</p><p>“Whatever you do doesn’t come with the perks we have,” Sam persisted.</p><p>“Also doesn’t come with anonymity I kinda like,”</p><p>“Alright. I tried. Can’t promise we won’t be back for more help though. Like I said, you do good work… So, this lasagna. Fresh?”</p><p> </p><p>…</p><p>“Well, if it isn’t Broom-hilda,” Tony said, arms open.</p><p>“I hope you’re not expecting a hug,” you replied, holding your own arms around yourself. Bucky snorted from next to you.</p><p>“Brumhilda?! A name derived from Brunnhilde, no doubt. I have a friend named-”</p><p>“Yeah, now’s not the time for Asgardian tales,” Tony interrupted a seemingly very excited Thor.</p><p>“Her name’s Y/N,” Bucky said to Thor.</p><p>Thor looked back and forth between Tony and you. “He thinks it’s funny,” you explained.</p><p>“It is. And I am,” Tony argued.</p><p>You sighed, sat down in one of the conference room’s chairs and began to slowly spin on it. “So, what am I doing here?”</p><p>When Sam and Bucky knocked on your door before the sun had a chance to rise and shine that morning, you knew it was going to be hard to say no to them. They both looked upset, and Sam was even free from his usual quips. As soon as you saw their faces, you began to nod. “Let me get dressed. I’ll come,” you whispered, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.</p><p>Bucky pulled up a seat next to you, the rest of the room taking the cue and finding their spots around the large table. You recognised everyone, having met most of them. Clint and Rhodey nodded politely in your direction.</p><p>“Y/N,” Steve greeted, sitting next to Bucky. “Good to see you. Heard these punks have been harassing ya?”</p><p>“Nothing she can’t handle,” Sam cut in, sitting on your other side.</p><p>“Truly sorry for them,” Steve said, grinning.</p><p>You shrugged, looking at Bucky. “They’re alright.”</p><p>Tony cleared his throat. “Whole team isn’t here yet, but they’re coming… We’re going to need all the help we can get.”</p><p>…</p><p>“There’s too many of them!” </p><p>"At least they’re not evil flying robots!”</p><p>“Hey! I said I was sorry!”</p><p>“Cap, we’ve got to try somethin’ else. Bullets ain’t doin’ shit.”</p><p>“Wanda? Can you-”</p><p>“On it.”</p><p>“Do you need me to go big? 'Cause I’ll go big.”</p><p>“Yes! Mr. Stark, can he go big?!”</p><p>From your hidden vantage point higher up the mountain, you watched the battle play out in front of you. Through the earpiece you listened to The Avengers et. al. try to work out what to do. It was true - they were severely outnumbered. The situation was going from bad to worse.</p><p>“Jesus!” you yelped as someone almost body-slammed themselves next to you.</p><p>“Sorry. Checkin’ you’re still here,”</p><p>“Where else would I be?”</p><p>Bucky shrugged, reloaded.</p><p>“What <i>are</i> they, Buck? I know a lot about a lot, but I’ve never seen anything like them.”</p><p>You took another look through the M22 field binoculars you’d been issued. The monsters didn’t look entirely… natural. Maybe, like many creatures of the world, they were made in a lab. They were men pulled apart, stitched back together with pieces of dog and wolf. Their claws ripped through protective gear and flesh like it was nothing, and they could communicate by wordless sound. It was almost howling, but more guttural and less fluid.</p><p>“They all look the same,” you said.</p><p>Bucky nodded. “Yeah, noticed that too. Exactly the same,”</p><p>“Exactly? Up close? Even the human parts?”</p><p>He stopped what he was doing and looked at you. “Yep. Clones. What’re you thinkin’?”</p><p>“Clones..? Um, I don’t know… I just… If I can figure out what they are then I can figure out how to help.”</p><p>Sam dropped down on the other side of you, his wings damaged. He ripped the pack off his back and began to try to repair them. “If I knew we were gonna be out here fightin’ fucking werewolves I would’ve packed the silverware instead of the vibranium.”</p><p>“Werewolves?” you asked, pulling a small silk pouch from your bag. “Here. Use this to stick them back together,”</p><p>“Stick it back together? Y/N. Can’t just glue an EXO back together-”</p><p>“It’s not <i>glue</i>, Sam. It’s bumblebee orchid, oak leaf, protea, and a bunch of other things you don’t wanna know about,” you explained.</p><p>“You really questioning her magic? Use her glue,” Bucky ordered. </p><p>Sam huffed but complied. And abracadabra, your witchy sticky goop held his wings together stronger than they were before.</p><p>Bucky and Sam stood up, reloaded and ready to rejoin the fight.</p><p>"Wait!” you called, suddenly having a thought. “What if they really are werewolves?”</p><p>“What?” Sam said.</p><p>“Weirder things have happened, right? Werewolves are real. So maybe…” Your voice trailed off as you tipped the entire contents of your bag onto the forest floor.</p><p>“Y/N, we don’t have time-”</p><p>“Gimme a second. I know I have it here,”</p><p>“Have what?” Bucky asked, kneeling down and studying the contents of your bag too.</p><p>“Aconitum extract… in a bottle… Here!”</p><p>“Aconitum?” Sam asked confused and growing impatient.</p><p>“Monkshood. Um, wolfsbane. Bucky, are we too far up for you to get one?”</p><p>Bucky took your M22s and assessed. “No. Nah, I can get one,”</p><p>“Gimme a bullet.”</p><p>Sam and Bucky watched you dip the bullet in aconitum while uttering any and every luck enchantment you could think of. Bucky loaded his M249 SAW, steadied himself and fired.</p><p>The monster went down.</p><p>All three of you held your breath and waited. Through the M22s you watched Steve approach the body, check it.</p><p>“It's… dead…” came through the comms.</p><p>…</p><p>It had been two weeks since the army of hybrid werewolf clones, so two weeks since you’d last seen Bucky. It had taken days to kill them all. You had to be flown out to find more aconitum extract. From the lab at the compound you were able to work with Bruce Banner to find better ways of delivering the wolfsbane to the clones. Once you had it, it was all over for those motherfuckers.</p><p>When everyone else arrived back at the compound, they were exhausted, covered in the thick ash generated by the massive fires it took to burn all the bodies. Bucky was so tired he could hardly keep his eyes open, but he mustered the energy to offer to drive you back home to New York City himself. You just sent him off to shower and bed, taking Tony’s offer of a ride with one of his minions.</p><p>It had been two weeks, then a dream, a vivid and hazy dream. A white cat brought you orange blossoms, carrying a branch in his mouth. “Do you want me to plant this?” you asked the cat, and you knew he would say yes if it could speak. He watched you tend to the blossom, then he disappeared through an open window. You could feel the cool breeze against your skin, felt your hair move.</p><p>When you woke, it didn’t surprise you to find Bucky sitting next to your bed, back to it and legs stretched out in front of him. The window was open, letting in an unseasonably warm morning zephyr.</p><p>“I just had a dream about you,” you whispered, ruffling his hair.</p><p>Bucky looked up at you. He seemed sad. “Good dream or bad dream?”</p><p>“Good. Always good.”</p><p>He nodded, trying for a small smile. “The fern… It meant I could come in, right?”</p><p>“Glad you got the message,” you answered. Out on the sills of all your windows, you left ferns. They meant a lot of things - fascination, magic, enchantment, sincerity, and shelter - and you’d told Bucky they were his plant, back when he and Sam came to offer you a job with The Avengers. At the entry points to your home, they were an open invitation for him, a coded welcome mat.</p><p>“Didn’t want to wake you,” Bucky said.</p><p>“I’m awake now. What do you need?”</p><p>He thought for a moment. He needed a lot of things, many of which you could definitely provide. “Tea? Thought maybe you could mix some for me to take home. Maybe give to the others,”</p><p>“I can do one better than that. I can make everyone their own blend. It will be fun. Come on. I’ll teach you how,” you said, pulling the blankets away and getting out of bed.</p><p>Bucky stood, looking a little alarmed. “You don’t have to-”</p><p>“I know, Buck. But I want to. Come on.”</p><p>It took all day, but eventually you had packaged up individual tea blends for everyone. Bucky got a stash of his special sleepy tea, and he already looked more rested with it in his possession. You walked him to the door sometime just before 5:00 pm.</p><p>“Thank you,” he said, quiet and reflective.</p><p>“Easy. You’re always welcome here. Sam - not so much. But you - always,” you told him, leaning against the frame of your front door.</p><p>“Might take you up on that,”</p><p>“Please do,” you said nodding.</p><p>Bucky smiled, went to leave, but turned back like he was going to say something. You stood straight, patient. His brain was ticking, thinking something over. Deciding. Then, he moved. Quickly, he stepped back and pressed a fast but soft kiss to your lips. He was gone, literally nowhere to be seen, before you had time to say or do anything.</p><p>…</p><p>The Hudson River sparkled under the sunset. Bucky watched the colours reflect the scene, like one of Steve’s paintings. He was lost in a daydream when Sam nudged him.</p><p>“Where you at, man?” he asked.</p><p>Bucky looked over at Sam and Steve, who were both eyeing him off suspiciously. They’d carried a couple of couches to the roof. Stolen Clint’s beer and set up shop for the night. Pizza was on its way.</p><p>“What?” Bucky asked.</p><p>“You were thinking about her again, huh?” Steve guessed.</p><p>Bucky looked back at the river, ignored his friends. They laughed, returned to their conversation.</p><p>Later, when Sam had retired to his room, not able to superhuman heat himself, Steve moved over to lounge next to Bucky. He rested his head on Bucky’s shoulder and closed his eyes.</p><p>“You really like her, don’t you?”</p><p>“I think I love her,” Bucky replied.</p><p>Steve laughed at the speed of the response. “I think you might too. All those girls before, and you never really <i>loved</i> any of them… Guess you stuck around to meet her,”</p><p>“Seems that way,”</p><p>“You gonna do anything about it?” Steve asked.</p><p>“Yeah… It’s gotta be good though,” Bucky said, only then realising the depth of his feelings.</p><p>“Wouldn’t wait too long, pal.”</p><p>….</p><p>Bucky took you up on your invitation, coming and going from your place frequently. Sometimes, you’d find fresh croissants left on your kitchen bench. Sometimes, you’d find him asleep on your couch. </p><p>How much he needed from you varied, but how much he was willing to give seemed infinite. You had to proactively stop him from becoming some sort of amazing housekeeper slash meal provider.</p><p>After about a month, he settled enough to be able to just exist around you. He’d help you pick the right leaves for the teas you made people. He’d disappear into your bedroom when you had clients over, reading their cards while Bucky listened in like it was a television series. It was easy being around him, and you were ready to be patient for a lot longer, but <i>fuck</i> were you itching for more.</p><p>The kissing was sweet, but very often brief. Bucky caught your lips in the moments between your magic and his profound awe. You did what you could to encourage him, but knew the ball was well and truly in his court. So, when he ushered you outside one sunny morning, you didn’t really have much expectation.</p><p>“I thought you’d never ask,” you said, face lighting up when you saw Bucky’s bike out the front of your place. New York City was buzzing around you, but as soon as you watched him get on and hand you a helmet, you’d never craved the open road more.</p><p>All the other times you’d been to The Avengers compound, you’d traveled by air. It was quick. The ride took longer but it was so much better. Having your arms wrapped around Bucky, the feeling of the bike rumbling under you, it was something new, which was all sorts of remarkable. Being magic sapped a lot of the wonder from the world, ironically. Bucky was bringing it back.</p><p>At the compound, Bucky took your hand and lead you around the side, not going in. "I’ve, ah, got something for you,“ he said.</p><p>"You sound nervous,”</p><p>“Yeah. If you could just cast up a little spell to get rid of that, it would be great,” he said deadpan.</p><p>You laughed while looking around for clues to Bucky’s surprise for you.</p><p>Rounding a corner, it came into view. A garden. A <i>proper</i> garden, complete with white picket fencing surrounding it. It was like something out of Practical Magic, and all your childhood dreams.</p><p>“What is this?”</p><p>“It’s for you. A place you can grow whatever you need. Or want,” Bucky said.</p><p>In a state of genuine shock, you let go of Bucky’s hand and covered your mouth with yours. You had never seen anything more spectacular.</p><p>At the single entrance to the garden was an arch. Ivy and honeysuckle covered it completely, like they’d had a lot of time to grow. You pulled a flower from the arch, reaching up to find a full bloom. “Honeysuckle petals are edible,” you said, reaching out to Bucky. He let you feed him the flower. “Sweet, like the perfume. They symbolism devotion, or being 'united in love.’ Kinda like the ivy on it. Ivy symbolises attraction.”</p><p>Bucky smiled wide, his eyes sparkling as he watched you walk further in. “We tried to make sections, you know, for the different plants. Like, this part here has sandy soil for the desert plants,” he explained.</p><p>“We?”</p><p>“Got a lot of help from the others,”</p><p>“I’ll have to thank them,” you said.</p><p>There were veggie patches and small fruit trees. Almost half the garden was designated to all the types of plants Bucky had seen you use in potions and teas. Dog rose, blackthorn, rosemary, euphorbia, snowdrop flowers, bells of Ireland, and welcoming wisteria. The raised beds were overflowing with plants, just about ready to bloom in an explosion of colour.</p><p>“This… This is incredible,”</p><p>“Figured your apartment doesn’t really have the space. And you’re welcome here anytime,”</p><p>“I’ll wanna be here <i>all</i> the time.” The garden was what your magical ancestors could have only dreamed of. “I don’t even know what to look at first,”</p><p>“Well, maybe that,” Bucky said, pointing to a birdbath, where butterflies were hovering over the water. The best part though, was a small sign sticking out the ground next to it that read <i>For Sam</i>.</p><p>You laughed. “Oh my god,”</p><p>“He was so grumpy about it,”</p><p>“Shouldn’t have named himself after a bird then,” you reasoned.</p><p>Bucky nodded, grinning. “And we put that bench opposite so you could sit and watch them.”</p><p>Your eyes were beginning to tear up, overwhelmed with the sheer amount of love and effort surrounding you. “Buck… I just can't…”</p><p>“Oh! And, one more thing. This was Wanda’s idea. Come on.”</p><p>Bucky took your hand and lead you through the garden to the back to where a weeping mulberry tree stood in the corner. He pushed through the soft branches, revealing the manicured underside. A green, little cave under the canopy held secret another wooden bench. Bucky sat down, otherwise he’d have to bend. It was the perfect height for you though, but you sat next to him anyway.</p><p>From under the mulberry tree you could see the rest of the garden. All the plants swayed in the warm breeze, and the flowers popped bright and happy.</p><p>“How long have you been working on this? Some of those are grown well in,”</p><p>“You don’t need to know any of that. Takes away the magic, don’t it?”</p><p>“You mean, a magician doesn’t reveal his secrets and all that?” you asked.</p><p>Bucky shrugged and nodded, leaning back into the bench a little more and putting an arm around you. Snuggling into his side, you breathed out and just soaked it all in. Your mind was caught between racing with ideas of all the things you could do with the garden and plants, and totally turning to blissful mush.</p><p>“I know ya never wanted to work with us, but I’m glad Nat found you. Glad I met you,” Bucky said, his voice back to being a little bit shaky, nervous. “You’ve made my life better, you know? Not just with the, the nightmares, but just… everything. You make everything better…”</p><p>You knew he wasn’t finished, so you stayed quiet while he gathered his thoughts. In the meantime, you threaded your fingers through his, rubbed your thumb along the back of his hand.</p><p>“I used to be so good at this,” he said, huffing a little.</p><p>It made you giggle. “Used to be good at what?” you asked knowingly, sitting up and looking at him.</p><p>He rolled his eyes. “Y/N! I’m tryna’ tell you I’m sweet on you and you’re gonna give me shit,”</p><p>“Yeah, I am. I’m also gonna give you shit about the phrase 'sweet on you’ too,” you replied, laughing.</p><p>Bucky smiled, watching you laugh, just happy you were happy. When you stopped, he sat up and used both hands to fold the hair behind your ears. Holding your face in his hands, he tried to not grin like an idiot. He couldn’t hide the smirk.</p><p>“I love you. I’m in love with you,” he said, voice finally dead certain.</p><p>“Yeah, the garden was a bit of a giveaway,” you replied, quickly adding, “And that’s good. 'Cause I’m in love with you too. Very completely.”</p><p>Bucky made the kind of expression you’d pull at a basket of mewing kittens, or a puppy tumbling across fresh cut lawn. It was very, very kissable. So, you did want any self-respecting witch would do. You kissed Bucky Barnes like your life depended on it in the secret mulberry tree cave he had made just for you.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Find me on Tumblr at buckyreaderrecs. Tag lists always open.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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